In Canadian gambling news related to land casinos rather than online casinos and slots, Metro Vancouver is about to see the opening of an urban casino and entertainment complex next to BC Place Stadium. The resort complex, including two hotels and a convention center will have nearly 700,000 square feet of floor space. A little more than 10% of that space will be dedicated to casino gaming on the second and third floors of the facility with floor to ceiling windows.
The casino will replace the Edgewater Casino which will close the same day. in 2005, Paragon Gaming opened the Edgewater as a temporary casino in the Enterprise Hall section of the Plaza of Nations which itself was constructed for the Expo ’86 World’s Fair. While the new casino is about twice as big as the Edgewater, the same number of games will be deployed at the new facility. The 36,000 sq ft Edgewater holds 600 slots and 75 tables. The new casino will feature 11 private gaming areas and a poker room according to the Daily Hive of Vancouver.
With only 72,000 sq ft of gaming space in the complex, Paragon is following successful business models developed in Las Vegas and perfected in Macau and Singapore by companies like MGM and Las Vegas Sands. The new Integrated resort casinos worldwide place an emphasis on diverse entertainment and a full range of accommodation options. One component repeated throughout all successful properties is a focus on what has become known as MICE – Meetings, incentives, conferencing, and exhibitions.
Paragon Gaming, a company with roots in Las Vegas and a decade of experience in western Canadian gaming, recognizes Vancouver’s place in the international scheme of things and its “great connectivity to the Asia-Pacific region and a growing convention center,” according to an August report on the Vegas Seven website.
Paragon CEO and co founder Scott Menke told the news outlet last month, “We just fell in love with the city,” he said. “It’s so diverse, with so much to do. We had an opportunity to build a property that would be additive, bringing a luxury hotel product and restaurants to an entertainment destination.”
The $700 million development features 13 boardrooms, meeting rooms, and ballrooms covering 62,0000 sq ft. The Parq Grand Ballroom will take up a quarter of that space. It is the largest ballroom in the city.
Accommodations include two Marriott hotels with a combined 517 rooms and suites. The Autograph Collection, Douglas, will offer 188 rooms and suites situated on the top 10 floors of the 17 floor hotel. The JW Marriott’s 329 rooms are located on floors 6-25. The property features a Spa by JW, a first for Canada.
Atop the development’s 6-story Podium, which ties all of the elements together, is a 30,000 sq ft outdoor event space with more than 200 native pine trees. The Douglas lobby contains a full size Douglas fir tree replica as well. Parq Vancouver was built to LEED Gold environmental standards.
While the quality of fare is expected to be on par with the best restaurants in Las Vegas, the offerings will be distinctly Vancouver. One, the 1886, celebrates the year that the city’s Chinatown appeared, while others offers everything from comfort foods with a twist to a focus on steaks and seafood in the Pacific Northwest. In all there are 8 restaurants and lounges on offer.
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